This invention relates to a steerable and brakable sled for transportation especially on land.
Sleds were one of the first vehicles ever made for transportation especially on snow or ice covered land even before wheeled vehicles such as horse drawn carriages were made. Such sleds have the conventional long, skinny runners which essentially slide upon the land as the sled moves by itself down a grade of land or is pulled by a motorized vehicle or a horse.
One known prior art is a WHEELCHAIR SUPPORTING SLED, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,566, issued on Feb. 27, 1979 and invented by David M. Benes, which comprises a pair of support members, a pair of runners, a frame mounted upon the runners, a steering runner, a pair of outriggers for steering the sled, and a wheelchair supported by the support members.
Another known prior art is a CONVERTIBLE SLED, U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,891, issued on September 1981 and invented by Claude Blanchette, which comprises an elongated seat, two supports, a pair of laterally spaced runners, plate extending from the front of the seat, a plurality of rods upon which wheels are rotatably mounted for converting the sled into a wheeled vehicle.
Another known prior art is a SLED WITH OCCUPANT PROTECTION, U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,529, issued on Aug. 25, 1981 and invented by Ellen M. Vaillancourt, which comprises a frame, a pair of sled runners, and a passenger or cargo receiving enclosure mounted upon the runners.
None of the prior art describes a sled having a steering means where the skis have a duckbill forward portion which have curved edges and are pivoted on either of their edges to turn the sled either right or left or a braking means where an elongate member having a tooth or corrugated edge engages the surface to stop the sled, all of which are features of the present invention.